Lack of available parking spaces has become problematic in many densely populated areas. To alleviate the problem and provide adequate parking, large multi-story parking structures, such as parking garages, are being built because they require the least amount of land while maximizing the number of parking spaces. Parking garages are commonly located in metropolitan areas, airports, office buildings, and apartments, as well as in any other area where large amounts of parking are needed. The parking garages generally include multiple levels of parking, which are similarly configured, making the levels difficult to distinguish.
Due to the similar layouts and the typically large size of the garages, locating a parked vehicle can be time consuming and frustrating, as drivers may forget where they parked their car or become disoriented within the garage, which can result in searching for their vehicle on a wrong level even if the driver remembered where s/he parked. The extended amounts of time required for a driver to locate his vehicle and any frustration experienced by the driver can result in decreased revenue for a parking garage owner, as well as contribute to a lack of available parking spaces for new customers. For instance, a frustrated driver may refuse to park in that same garage again the next time parking is required, opting instead for a smaller garage or on-street parking. Additionally, the more time a driver requires to locate his car, the longer other cars may have to wait to park in the garage, thereby increasing traffic congestion and lowering the potential for additional revenue since the last minute of parking time is typically cheaper (lower revenue generation) than the initial parking period in most paid parking facilities. The same issues on locating parked vehicles also exist in large open field parking structures such as those used in amusement parks and transportation hubs.
Conventional parking structures have attempted to solve the problem using the Global Positioning System (“GPS”), Wi-Fi, and cameras. For example, smartphone applications exist that allow a driver to record the GPS location of his parked car via a smartphone. Upon return to the car, the driver can access the recorded GPS location to locate his car. However, such application utilizes GPS, which requires an unobstructed line of sight from the smartphone device to multiple GPS satellites. Thus, GPS is ineffective for use in a multi-tiered parking garage where the GPS signals may be weak or non-existent.
Further, some garages have implemented the use of cameras to identify vehicles that enter and exit the parking structure. Specifically, cameras are positioned at the entrance of the garage and at the exit. Images of vehicle license plates are captured as the vehicles enter or exit the garage, which allow the garage to monitor a number of available parking spaces versus occupied parking spaces based on a number of vehicles identified as being located in the garage. Further monitoring of individual parking spaces exists, such as by placing a camera at every parking space. The images are stored in a database and when a driver wants to locate his vehicle, he can provide his license plate number to identify the location, which is indicated via the location of the camera. However, buying and maintaining large numbers of cameras, one for every parking space or a subset of parking spaces, is expensive.
Therefore, there is a need for assisting drivers to efficiently locate their parked cars in a cost-efficient manner. Preferably, the assistance provided can be incorporated into the current steps a driver takes when parking in a conventional garage.